Statement on Bail Assistance

Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) unequivocally condemns all forms of violence in the strongest terms. We are committed to seeking justice and healing for victims and survivors of crimes. 

LCR continues to call for reforms to our bail and criminal system that ensure equal justice for all, not just those who can afford bail on their own. 
Cash bail generates a two-tiered system of injustice where low-income people remain in jail, while the wealthy — including those accused of reprehensible crimes — go free. Without access to bail assistance low-income communities of color are condemned to pre-trial detention where they often lose their homes and jobs. Far too often, this detention coerces low-income people of color into accepting overly punitive plea agreements. 

Our legal system allows judges to make bail determinations considering a complex constellation of factors, including input from prosecutors and defense attorneys. Poverty and inability to pay should never be the dispositive factors that keep someone in jail. Low-income individuals need bail assistance to remain with family — which provides vital support throughout the process in ways that keep all of us and our communities safer.